The Ultimate Checklist For Setting Up Your Property As A Holiday Let
Are you thinking about setting up your property as a holiday let? It’s no easy task and can be quite overwhelming. Of course, we would love you to join our network of investors by bringing your property to Donnini and letting us take on the hassle for you…but just in case you want to give it a go yourself, then we have provided the ultimate checklist for setting your property up as a serviced apartment!
Step 1 – Think About The Guest
Guest experience is what it’s all about and your property must cater for the guest in the best way possible. Before thinking about setting up your property, this is a good place to start. Do you have the time to service the guest in the best way possible? Is your property right for a holiday let? Here are some pointers to think about:
Location (close to amenities/rural/parking/neighbours?)
Is the property up to scratch? Is everything in good working order?
Accessibility (can you be on call to the guest 24/7 and do you have the infrastructure to support the guest experience?)
Target market (who is your ideal customer and what appeals to them?)
Step 2 – Setting Up The Property
If Step 1 hasn’t scared you off, you have decided that your property is right to become a serviced apartment and you have identified the target market, then its time to think about your property and the best way to set it up for those guests.
Furnishings (you will need to fully furnish the property before being able to welcome guests. It’s important you incorporate your target market into your furnishings. For instance, if you are going for the luxury end of the market then it’s maybe not the best idea to provide sofa beds.) **Make sure all your furnishings are fire safe and durable** A good tip here also is to try and avoid white, its easily marked and doesn’t wear well.
Linen – at Donnini we use high quality hotel linen which we hire from the UK’s leading linen provider. Depending on how busy you expect your property to be it may be worth doing a cost analysis on hiring over purchasing linen. You will then need to identify a laundrette to clean and maintain your linen if you’re not going to do it yourself.
WIFI – make sure your property has good WIFI as guests demand nothing less!
Temperature control – ensure that its easy to operate the temperature in the property for the comfort of your guests.
Instructions & Guidelines – your guests will need to know firstly how to get to your property and secondly, how to operate everything that is in the property. Make sure you have a succinct set of instructions and apartment guidelines to make their life as easy as possible (we recommend a printed & digital copy of these).
Finally, an inventory (make sure you get all things recorded so you can check on a frequent basis that everything you first put in is still there!)
Step 3 – Compliance (the important part)
We take both team and guest health and safety at Donnini extremely important. We consider this just as important as a positive experience and anyone setting up their property as a serviced apartment, we would recommend you carry out all the necessary checks. You can find all the up to date compliance for a holiday let in Scotland here - https://www.gov.scot/publications/short-term-lets-consultation-regulatory-framework-scotland/pages/4/
Step 4 – Marketing and Management
Okay, so you have the right property, you have fully furnished it, you have all your compliance up to date and now you are ready to welcome your first guest. Well, firstly you need to let guests know that your property exists and there is an abundance of ways to do that, we will give you a few here today.
Consider which Online Travel Agency (OTA) you want to use (Airbnb, cottages.com, booking.com, etc). There are thousands out there to choose from, so identify which suits your business model the most.
Consider social media. It’s a very effective and relatively cheap way of getting your property out there in the public eye. Look to join groups or pages appropriate for the location that your property is in. If you have some marketing budget to boost your post or sponsor an ad, even better.
Professional Photos – it’s the first thing a perspective guests see’s so why not make sure they are good quality.
Google Ads. This can be costly, but if you have multiple properties and a good website then it’s worth considering. There are many agencies out there who specialise in this area and can help with the technical side of things.
Word of mouth! Shout about your property from the rooftops. Colleagues, friends, family. Make sure they all know that you have a property – you never know who they might mention it to!
Repeat discounts or incentives. Offer your guests a reason to come back in addition to a positive experience. If they get 10% off their next stay, they may well come back next year!
Referral schemes. Offer your guests an incentive to spread the word. Let them do your marketing for you. If they receive an incentive, maybe a restaurant voucher, every time that they refer someone who makes a booking, interest in your property will grow.
If you want to find more information on any of the content above, you can visit our property investment page here: https://www.donnini.co.uk/property-investment/ or if you want to discuss property investment or your portfolio with Donnini’s Co-Founder, Jake Murray, then simply get in touch on 07496 623354 or by emailing jake@donnini.co.uk